Tariff Dodger: (Mostly) Made-in-USA Knafs ‘Little Lulu’ Review

For the last few months, the outdoor industry, along with most other manufacturing industries in the U.S, has been in a pickle over the same buzzword: tariffs. With the Trump administration’s starts and stops on import taxes, disruptions have impacted brands of all sizes. It’s left many companies struggling to forecast budgets and plan for the future.

Knafs has steadily made its way to the top of the knife industry by creating very desirable blades at decent prices. But it has long relied on foreign manufacturers to do this, and there was no question these tariffs were going to impact all of the products Knafs imports — nearly its entire catalogue.

In response, Knafs pivoted quickly and began experimenting to see if it could produce a knife, not just domestically, but also entirely in-house to boot. The result was the Little Lulu, a 5.2-inch, three-finger fixed blade of MagnaCut steel, adorned with Micarta handle scales.

The Little Lulu doesn’t just represent the fact that some brands can pivot to produce domestically. This knife, which lacks size but bolsters utility, proves brands can add the title of “knife manufacturer” to their company profiles.

And that’s a big deal. 

In short: The Little Lulu stands as a tale of turning economic lemons into manufacturing lemonade through determination and innovation. This blade proves that size isn’t the most important factor in knives, and points to the growing trend of the pocket fixed-blade movement. It also shows that it’s really not easy to make something in the USA, no matter how hard you try.

Knafs Little Lulu Review

Design & Features

The Little Lulu presented some hurdles for Knafs. While the brand was accustomed to sending its designs to the manufacturer to figure out, Knafs now had to tackle those manufacturing challenges. This meant handling design hurdles and changes up front. 

After investing in a new CNC machine and creating some new domestic partnerships, Knafs turned to friends at Mountain Path Design, also in Utah, to help it pivot from knife designer to knife manufacturer. The efforts paid off, as the Little Lulu, though part of the Lulu lineup, stands alone in both form and function.

The Little Lulu is made from a single piece of in-house CNC’d and ground MagnaCut steel. MagnaCut has been the EDC “it” steel for the last couple of years due to its balance in toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention. For handle scales, Knafs chose to wrap the Little Lulu in Micarta, which was also processed at its headquarters in Utah.

When you order the Little Lulu through the current Kickstarter campaign, it comes with green Micarta scales that bounce beautifully off the stonewashed MagnaCut steel. For carry, it comes with a multi-purpose Kydex sheath.

Upon pledging, you have the option to add in extras like a black Cerakote blade finish, Mexican Blanket G-Carta scales by G.L. Hansen & Sons out of Idaho (tested), and a leather sheath by another Utah staple, Lazy 3 Leather Co. 

Made in USA: Less Than 100%

Just like organic foods, there’s a sliding scale of standards that indicates whether a knife is made in the USA or not. These standards are set by the Federal Trade Commission and are about as clear as mud when it comes to sourcing and manufacturing.

Here is a breakdown of the parts and materials found in the Little Lulu:

MagnaCut Steel

Syracuse, New York’s Crucible Steel has long been the sole manufacturer of MagnaCut steel. When it went bankrupt earlier this year, it was purchased by Erasteel, a French Company. This factor, as well as the fact that some of the steel processing happens in Sweden, means that MagnaCut is not made in America.

Hardware

The knife’s hardware is sourced from American company McMaster-Carr. However, the hardware is from China. Additionally, the Kydex sheath grommets are made in China.

Micarta

The Micarta scales come from Meriden, Conn., company Masecraft Supply. If I were still living in the house I grew up in, I could yell, “Hello!” to the building. I’ve spent many hours in that warehouse. That said, the brand’s materials are processed here but are foreign in origin.

Kydex

Knafs gets its Kydex from KnifeKits, an online retailer that is a magnet for knife makers looking to source knifemaking bits and pieces. Their Kydex is “manufactured in USA with a minimum of 90% domestic content”.

So even though the Little Lulu is produced in a garage in Utah, it is not considered “Made in USA” because the materials aren’t all domestically sourced. That means that when it comes down to the country of origin, Knafs has to state that the Little Lulu is “Made in USA of Domestic and Foreign Parts.”

What does that ultimately mean? Even with all the effort Knafs put into making the Little Lulu here, it still feels the impact of tariffs. That’s not to say that this venture wasn’t a clear success, however. At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign is about to triple its overall goal of $50,000.

Additionally, I’m as smitten as a kitten with the little bugger.

First Impressions

A month or so before Knafs confirmed it would make a knife domestically, it teased its Micarta scales on an episode of its video blog, Knafs@Nite.

Given how much I love Micarta, it’s safe to say that I was intrigued — no matter what this knife was destined to become. However, I never imagined that it would be as small as it actually is. Considering the standard Lulu is 6.75 inches and its cousin, the newer Lander 4, is 5.9 inches, I should have seen it coming. 

That all said, when the Little Lulu landed, I was impressed with the way it fit in my hand, as well as how well the choil played into its ability to be so versatile. Knafs sent along both the green Micarta and Mexican Blanket G-Carta scales, as well as both sheath options, and I found myself overwhelmed.

The Mexican Blanket and leather sheath are iconic, although so is the green Micarta and Kydex sheath. I don’t think I’ve toiled over options like that in a long time, but I settled on the G-Carta and leather configuration to start off my experience with the mighty mite.

In the Field

I’m not sure if it’s the way I am wired, but within the first few days of carrying the Little Lulu, I found myself ignoring my larger pocket knife in favor of it. This isn’t a knife meant to baton wood or solve all the problems and tasks you encounter in your day-to-day life or out in the woods. But the Little Lulu is the knife that’s easy to access for the smaller, menial tasks you always seem to come across. 

Ever struggled to tear open a package of hot dogs or rip open your latest Amazon treasures? How about breaking down all of those boxes to throw into the fire pit for a night in the flickering light? The Little Lulu is a taskmaster in an arena where a larger knife could feel like complete overkill.

It’s also small enough to wear around your neck for those journeys when you venture out to the yard in your jammies and need a blade. 

Overall, the Little Lulu is a sidekick knife. Like a majority of the other knives in the pocket fixed-blade category, it’s an easy-to-access and inconspicuous tool that becomes invaluable the more time you spend with it. Don’t let its size fool you, it’s very versatile. 

Conclusion: Who’s It For?

As a knifemaker, I have spent a lot of time modeling in 3D and programming CNC machines. I’ve also spent a lot of time leaning over a lathe, changing belts on a grinder, and hand-sharpening knives into the wee hours of the morning.

What Knafs is experiencing with with this latest project is one of the most satisfying parts of being a knifemaker. 

There’s no mass production here. The handle scales on each knife line up just right for that specific knife. The grommets on the Kydex sheath aren’t perfectly spaced — and that’s okay. That’s what you want. That’s the human touch. Not only is this one of my favorite Knafs knives, but it’s also (in my opinion) the brand’s most important.

No, it didn’t beat the tariff game entirely, but it did take it on, head on. In the end, Knafs is better for it.

Everyone involved has a new skillset and Knafs, as a company, is more capable than it ever has been before. For a guy like founder Ben Petersen, who’s been around in the knife world for a while, this is a watershed moment for him and his team.